• Introduction
• Part 1How do I make a complaint?
• Part 2What is a Standards Committee?
• Part 3What complaints does the Standards Committee deal with?
• Part 4How should I set out my complaint?
• Part 5What happens to my complaint – how is it processed and dealt with?
• Part 6What happens after my complaint has been looked at?
• Part 7Withdrawal of complaints
• Part 8Complainant confidentiality
• Part 9Conflicts of interests
• Part 10Retention of records
• Part 11Generally
• Appendix 1Councillor complaints process - public interest
• Appendix 2Assessment criteria

Part 3

What complaints does the Standards Committee deal with?

The Standards Committee can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a county councillor. It will not deal with complaints about things that are not covered by the members’ code of conduct.

If you make a complaint to the Standards Committee it must be in writing. You should say which county councillor it is about and why you think they have not followed the code of conduct. The Committee cannot look at complaints that:

• are about incidents that happened before the councillor was elected or chosen to serve
• are about incidents that happened before the Council adopted the code of conduct other than incidents of alleged harassment, bullying or victimisation
• are about the way the Council conducts or records its meetings
• would not disclose a breach of the code of conduct

Complaints about the:

• actions of the Council’s employees
• way the Council has or has not done something
• decisions of the Council or one of the services it provides

are the subject of a separate complaints system which can be accessed on the County Council’s feedback/complaints system.

If when using this complaints system you think the Council has not dealt with the matter properly and has failed to resolve a complaint locally, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman cannot be used for complaints against elected members.